Not Love Story
by llefay
Summary: Troy worries about his best friend/secret crush. Abed worries that his life and problems aren't sticking to the script. (eventual TroyxAbed) Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
1. Chapter 1

"What's with Ay-bed?" Pierce asked. "Is he checking on his WMDs again?"

"This is the third time he's left the room in the past hour," Shirley agreed. "Is everything okay?"

All eyes in the study room turned to Troy and Annie, unofficial keepers of Abed.

"You promised you'd tell me if he was having any of his 'episodes.' You know I'm a psych major," Britta said accusingly.

"I think he might actually be sick, like regular sick," Annie said. "He spent most of the weekend in the bathroom."

"Awww," Shirley cooed pityingly.

"Whatever, as long as he stays away from me. I have a date tonight and I don't need to catch anything," Jeff said. "Now can we please study Biology. Mitosis is…"

Troy stared off into space imagining he was staring off into time. Abed would totally be into that. Maybe he could suggest that next time they were in the dreamatorium. Reggie and the Inspector just staring into time together. 'We don't have time for a relationship,' Reggie would say. 'Ah, but we have the space,' the Inspector would reply lovingly. What?! Troy shook his head.

Abed walked back into the study room then and stood in the doorway.

"Can you drive me home?" he asked Troy.

"Yeah, 'course man." Troy stood and picked up his books.

"And don't worry Jeff," Abed said impassively as he walked out the door. "I'm not contagious."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't Community or any of its characters.

Troy stared at the road and tried to make small talk. He'd never had a hard time talking to Abed, but maybe that's because normally they were engaged to big talk. Stuff like robots and Inspector Spacetime and Kickpuncher. But now Abed was being weird (and not normal weird) and Troy was struggling to fill the silence.

"So Biology is like cool," Troy said. "Life cycles and…stuff."

"Pull over," Abed said, his tone never changing.

Troy veered onto the shoulder and parked. He pretended to struggle with how to turn on his hazards to avoid watching while Abed vomited onto the grass on the side of the road. Well he was mostly pretending.

After a minute Abed closed his car door and cleared his throat. "Am I supposed to apologize now?" he asked.

"Apologize?" Troy repeated, turning to get a good look at his friend. Abed was beautiful as ever but there was an odd pallor to his skin.

"In movies people tend to apologize when they're sick in front of someone," Abed explained, carefully wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"That's dumb," Troy assured him putting the car into park and pulling back out into traffic.

"Cool, coolcoolcool."

"But should I drive you to the health clinic or the hospital or something?"

"No. I went to the doctor weeks ago," Abed said.

"Oh, so is everything okay?" Troy asked, trying to pretend he wasn't scared.

"It's not good," Abed confided.

Troy bit his lip. Was he supposed to pry? Was he allowed to pry? It was Abed, it wasn't likely that he'd get offended. At worst he'd point out that the worried friend trope was overplayed or something. "What's wrong?"

"Well you just passed our apartment."

"Shit," Troy muttered searching for a space to turn around.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Community and its characters don't belong to me.

Troy paced the living room. Abed hadn't come out of the bathroom since they'd gotten home. That had been half an hour ago. Bugging someone when they were in the bathroom was weird, right? But what if Abed needed something or had passed out or…

Troy knocked on the bathroom door. "You okay?"

"Yes," Abed replied. His voice sounded like it was directly on the other side of the door.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Lying down."

"Oh. Um did you want to come out? You could lie on the bed. We could watch Kickpuncher or something."

Abed opened the door. "You're worried?"

Troy nodded and ducked inside the blanket fort.

"I'm sorry. It's okay to apologize for worrying you, right?" Abed followed Troy through the curtain.

Troy shrugged and sat down on the lower bunk. "You could just tell me what's going on."

Abed lay on the bed next to Troy, and curled up in the fetal position. His head nearly on Troy's lap.

"You know A Walk to Remember?" Asked Abed.

"I told you not to mention that movie," Troy exclaimed, already feeling his eyes well up. "It's not like A Walk to Remember, is it?"

"No," Abed said. "It's not like Love Story either."

Troy breathed a sigh a relief.

"You know in Kickpuncher II when Kickpuncher's girl is dying and he fight's through waves of criminals to get her antibiotics?"

Troy nodded. He could totally do that. For Abed he would totally do that. '

"It's not like that," Abed explained.

Troy's face fell. He noticed that Abed's arms were gripping his stomach. And he could see a slight wavering in Abed's stoic expression.

Carefully Troy lifted Abed's head and slid over on the bed. Abed's head rested on his lap now. "If I could punch your sickness away I'd do it is a second," he recited.

"Oh David, would that you could," Abed responded in a high pitched voice.

Gently Troy caressed Abed's hair. This was the part of the movie where they kissed. He wondered if he should go for it. He started to lean down.

"It doesn't work without the wig," Abed said decisively. "Thanks though. That did make me feel better."

Troy watched as Abed closed his eyes. His legs were falling asleep, but he didn't want to move.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me.

So this is the final section. Hope you enjoy

Troy fell asleep curled against Abed on the small bed.

He woke up alone.

"Abed?" Troy mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

No answer.

Troy crawled out of bed and out of the blanket fort.

Abed sat at the kitchen table pushing, buttered noodles around a bowl with his spoon.

"Feeling better?" Troy asked.

"It would make you feel better if I said that I was."

"Well yeah…" Troy said sitting down next to Abed. "But friends don't lie to each other."

"True," Abed agreed. He pushed his noodles around again.

"We could make a movie or something. Like another documentary?"

"Chronic illnesses like crohns lack the resolution necessary to be cathartic for audiences. The subject neither dies nor fully recovers."

Crohns? Troy turned the phrase chronic illness over in his head. He didn't like the sound of it. "Oh. Not dying is good though."

"Not for the audience."

"What about for you?" Troy asked.

Abed considered. "A novel where the status quo isn't changed isn't a proper novel. That was Burgess's objection to the American ending of Clockwork Orange. The ending Kubrick used in the movie."

Troy was lost. "That movie gave me nightmares."

"Did you find it emotionally satisfying?"

"I found it creepy," Troy replied, refusing to discuss the subject further. "But just 'cause one thing, the health thing, doesn't get any real resolution, that doesn't mean that the story doesn't have any. I mean maybe it's not a story about a guy that's sick."

"No?"

"Maybe it's a story about a guy, and the guy happens to have a chronic illness thing, but the real story is about the guy and his friend. And the friend has a crush on the guy. And then they kiss?"

"Do they?"

"Yeah, so it's kind of a love story. It's not "Love Story" 'cause no one dies, but it's a love story," Troy realized he was rambling. Uncertainly, he leaned forward towards Abed.

The perplexed look was gone from Abed's face and his eyes were lightly closed.

Gently Troy pressed his lips against his friend's and then quickly he sat back.

Abed smiled. "That could work. The kiss is no good though, not enough passion. We'll need another take."

THE END


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